Bucky Hodges’s Arrest Should Be a Wakeup Call

Disappointing news broke on Sunday about Virginia Tech star tight end Bucky Hodges being arrested Saturday night for public intoxication which was confirmed by the Blacksburg Police.

Firstly, Hodges is only 19 so there is also a underage drinking charge that is likely along with the public intoxication charge. These are not charges that will have any sort of jail time associated with it, but this is still disappointing to see that Hodges has made this mistake.

Hodges is only 19 years old, but this should be a lesson to him about how he needs to mature some especially since he is in the spotlight as one of Virginia Tech’s star players. Hodges has a bright future, but off-the-field issues could derail what should be a fantastic collegiate and professional career.

The athletic department now has to deal with a tricky situation as this is a first-time mistake for Hodges as we understand, but this is still a major disappointment for the program. Whit Babcock and Frank Beamer will both have major roles in determining the discipline.

The Hokies will let the arrest process play out some before making a final decision, but I expect that Hodges will at least have to do some sort of community service. There is the potential for Hodges to be suspended for the Spring Game though a Spring Game suspension wouldn’t really mean much of anything.

The big thing now is whether Hodges will be suspended for the Hokies’ season opener against Ohio State. There is a decent chance that Hodges will be suspended for at least a half against the Buckeyes which would be a big loss for the Hokies because of how unique Hodges is.

The Hokies have the talent at tight end to survive without Hodges, but losing him against Ohio State hurts Virginia Tech’s chances of pulling off the upset. Not suspending Hodges for even a half will likely annoy some while others will see a suspension for the Ohio State game as an overreaction.

The biggest thing is that Bucky Hodges has put himself in a bad situation that could hurt the Hokies a lot. Hopefully, Hodges will learn his lesson and mature from this situation or his future could become cloudier.